NAHL Midget Showcase: Future Prospects Tournament

McKeen's correspondent Max Giese provides a glimpse of some of the top 14-16-year-old prospects from North America that recently participated in the NAHL Midget Showcase Future Prospects Tournament in Blaine, Minnesota.

Jordan Schmaltz (2012), D, Chicago Mission Midget Minor

A multi-faceted defenseman that is committed to the University of Wisconsin .. mobile with good feet, a nice stride and flourishing agility that stimulates his slick escape moves .. the power in his stride will progress rapidly once he gains strength in his legs .. a heads-up and poised puck-carrying defenseman that makes a good first pass and can skate the puck up the ice quite well if the situation calls for it .. can be too relaxed in possession and will fizzle at times when pressured .. does a solid job activating himself from the point and his hand skill is impressive .. controls gaps well and positions himself properly in the defensive zone .. not a nasty or overpowering physical defenseman, but his intensity rises to suit the situation and he can hold his own during puck-battles.

John Doherty (2011), RW, Chicago Mission Midget Minor

Some assembly required, but there are some tools to work with here .. Doherty has a real presence with the puck and executes crisp passes .. just looks like a player, as he's a strong skater with a healthy physique.

Theo DiPauli (2011), RW, Chicago Mission Midget Minor

This kid can flat out score .. dangerous one-on-one and is always in attack mode when the puck is on his blade .. owns a fast and strong stick in traffic with sublime puck control .. displays a nice initial burst of speed out of the gates with the puck and has the soft touch in close to bury his chances.

A.J. Jarosz (2011), LW, Team Illinois Midget Minor

His most identifiable quality is his strength coming down the wing .. an exciting player that is difficult to defend in the open ice .. has decent size and is quite strong on the puck .. a chore to defend one-on-one because of his swift lateral agility .. moves the puck crisply thanks to his vision and skill .. lazy defensively and must improve on his play away from the puck.

Trevor Morbeck (2012), LW, Team Illinois Midget Minor

A big playmaking winger .. already stands at 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds .. blessed with exceptional vision and creativity .. oozes poise when distributing the puck deftly from the wing .. has a soft pair of mitts and a long reach .. unselfish to a fault and guilty of playing on the perimeter .. displays adequate first-few strides for a larger kid, but will need to upgrade his top gear .. committed to backchecking and picking up his man defensively.

Alexx Privitera (2011), D, New Jersey Avalanche Midget Minor

Offensively gifted defenseman that is dynamic with the puck on his blade .. skates remarkably well with the puck and is a universal offensive threat that can launch the attack through his articulate passing game or ability to go coast-to-coast .. displays all of the tools necessary to quarterback the powerplay at the higher levels of play .. lacks height and will never have the prototypical frame, but he's stocky and solid on his skates .. definitely a name to remember.

Robbie Russo (2011), D, Chicago Mission Midget Major

Skilled offensive defenseman .. would benefit from increased initial explosiveness in his skating, however he moves very well laterally and utilizes his fluent edgework to provide him with an effortless glide to his skating .. skates well with the puck and is dangerous attacking from the point .. always in assault posture and looking to make things happen offensively .. identifies opening seams innately and owns a good shot .. poised in possession with slick in-close puck control and is a clever set-up man from the point .. has okay size, but he must get stronger defensively and eliminate his habit of over handling the puck on the blueline.

T.J. Tynan (2010), C, Chicago Mission Midget Major

Small, creative playmaking center that is committed to Notre Dame .. very quick and agile with great lateral bursts of speed and a low skating base .. an outstanding playmaker with great peripheral vision and elite passing skills .. pint-sized but tough with the willingness to go to the net and courage to continue to battle against larger, more physical opponents .. has velvety soft hands, is dangerous in the open ice, and shields the puck well for his size.

Garrett Allen (2010), RW, Team Illinois Midget Major

Drafted by the Peterborough Petes in the 2008 OHL draft, Allen is struggling early this season to adjust to his new surroundings after playing for the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals last season .. owns swift acceleration, especially out of his crossovers .. lacking structure and purpose in his game right now, yet he gets away with it at times because he's a smart player and the play often tends to come right to him .. has good puck skills, but will need to compete harder and erase his lethargic defensive play.

Ryan Belonger (2010), C, Green Bay Jr. Gamblers

Fairly complete two-way player .. has good feet, a compact stride, and only takes a few steps to hit his top-gear .. a highly intelligent player that is active in space with great anticipatory skills .. intuitively identifies and exploits the developing seems in the offensive zone .. intense and feisty competitor that also doesn't run into any situation and often shines because he takes the methodical route instead of joining clusters of traffic around the puck .. owns a crisp release and is instinctive with the puck .. plays on the penalty kill where he displays his active stick and shrewd defensive reads .. lacks height, but is sturdy in traffic and when engaged in puck battles.